Common Denomenator
by Black Ice
Summary: This is Chris's life, shown through a series of scenes, each connected by one aspect: His brother. Has scenes from Chris's early childhood to early adulthood. Please read and review. COMPLETED STORY
1. Part One

_This story begins with a scene from the episode "Chris-Crossed" and then back-tracks to follow Chris through his childhood up until the moment he travels back in time. Each chapter is an episode in Chris's life. Some of them are cued from scenes in the television show and some from my imagination. The story is based on facts up until the episode "__Hyde__School__Reunion__." _

_None of this story could have been written without the help of the website www.thecharmedones.com_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed. This story is a product of my imagination. Some of the scenes have been taken from the script and modified. When this occurs, the episode and writer of the original scene is cited. _

**Note: Part of this chapter was taken from the episode "Chris-Crossed," which was written by Cameron Litvack. **

****

**Part One**

_"Welcome home, Chris." The guards part to reveal a tall man standing in the shadows. Chris looks up and immediately recognizes him. "Hello, Wyatt."_

_-Season 6, Episode 121, "Chris-Crossed"_

            Wyatt took several steps forward, his foot hitting a creaky floorboard. He looked towards his demons and waved his hand. "They're no threat to me." His demonic guards shimmered away as soon as the last word left his mouth. "Of all the people to betray me…my own brother." Wyatt glared at Chris, his eyes full of hatred. Chris stared right back. He couldn't see his brother in this man anymore. It was like the Wyatt he had grown up with no longer existed. 

            "You think it was easy? Wyatt, I didn't go back to betray you, I went back to save you." Chris took several steps towards Wyatt. The person he'd once respected and looked up to now loomed before him. Wyatt wasn't going to show or have any mercy for him, not after what he had done.  "Big brother gone evil. What an example you're setting for me." 

            "Save me? From what?" Wyatt stepped away from Chris. The two stared at each other across the room that Wyatt had created to remind all of the family that he had been born from. He never cared to tell people that there had been another. It had always been that Chris was simply a follower, never a brother. 

            "Whatever evil that turned you." Chris shook his head and tried to find his brother in the man standing in front of him. It didn't work. There was no sign of the little boy who had refused to share toys. "I don't know why it just slipped by me. I was right there. Did it have something to do with Melinda? Or was it Mom?" Chris could see Wyatt wincing slightly at the mention of each of their names. He had never found a legitimate reason to blame either of their deaths on his brother, but he was sure that it had been Wyatt's fault. Just like he knew for a fact who had killed his father and aunts. Wyatt would happily take credit for that one.  

            "That's always been your problem, little brother. There is no good or evil. There is only power and those who are strong enough to manipulate it. That's why I've created this museum. To remind those of the power from which I was born." Wyatt opened his arms, beckoning to room around him. Chris looked at him. Wyatt had used those words on him more than once. It seemed like Wyatt was reading from a script. It was almost as if he didn't believe in his own words anymore. 

            "You mean the power from which we were born. Not just you. Not just me. Our whole line." Chris retorted. "Just because I'm not as strong as you…"

            Wyatt turned his head and chose to ignore the last remark. "If anybody else tried this, I'd kill them. You know that. But-"

            "-So kill me now." 

            "-I have forgiven Bianca. I can forgive you too. You just need to promise never to stray from me again."

            "Stray from you? How could I stray from you? You're always there! I tried to save you. I thought you knew me better then that." Chris remembered the time when Wyatt had forced him to choose between death and evil. He had wanted to die so badly that day, but for some reason he had chosen to live.   
            Suddenly, Wyatt's anger got the better of him. He held out his hand and began to telekinetically choke Chris. As Chris was lifted into the air, he caught Bianca's eye. She was standing off towards the wall, scared and unsure of what to do. She was so different from the Bianca he known long ago. She had been emotionless and a follower, explicitly following her orders and never questioning anything that Wyatt had told her to do. Somehow she had broken away from that mold, but she was frozen again. She had no idea what to do. He tried to will her to push Wyatt or scream or do something that would cause Wyatt to lose his concentration. 

            "I thought you said you wouldn't hurt him!" Bianca yelled out, causing Wyatt to release him. He tumbled to the ground, hitting his shoulder on the floor. Chris pulled himself to his feet just in time to make another run at Wyatt.

            "I thought you said you'd turn him…are you out of your mind?" Wyatt easily pushed Chris away and hurled him against the wall. "I don't need to remind you that I don't need you. I can kill you right now. It wouldn't make a difference to me." He picked Chris up in a second telekinetic hold. Chris's throat began to close as he was lifted into the air.  Wyatt held out his hand and formed an energy ball, but just as he was about to throw it, Chris fell to the ground and the ball disappeared. Wyatt gave a yelp of pain. 

            "Whatever you're going to do, do it fast. I can't hold him for long." Bianca called out, her voice strained. Chris rushed across the room and pulled the floorboard up and removed a spell. As his powers reentered his body, Wyatt managed to free himself of Bianca's hold and threw her across the room. Chris felt a sense of dread enter his body as he ran across the room and knelt next to her. 

            "Haven't we been here before?" she said weakly. Chris felt tears welling in his eyes. He had to stay; he had to do something for her. He had to protect her. But there was no way. Maybe something good would come of this. 

            "Maybe we'll be here again," he whispered back. 

            "Go!" she commanded. Chris gazed at her one last time and dashed to the book of Shadows. He flipped through the pages until he found the one with the time travel spell. He began to read it, watching in dread as Wyatt stalked towards him. 

            Wyatt threw an energy ball, but Chris ducked and it shattered the window.  The wall lit up and Chris ran for it, ripping the page out of the book. He turned towards Wyatt, who was coming towards him at a very quick pace. "I'll save you, big brother. Whether you want me to or not, I will save you."  He jumped through the portal and back into the future. There had to be some way to save his brother. Maybe he could save his past self the anguish of growing up with Wyatt. Maybe he could save the world. 


	2. Part Two

_This story begins with a scene from the episode "Chris-Crossed" and then back-tracks to follow Chris through his childhood up until the moment he travels back in time. Each chapter is an episode in Chris's life. Some of them are cued from scenes in the television show and some from my imagination. The story is based on facts up until the episode "__Hyde__School__Reunion__." _

_None of this story could have been written without the help of the website www.thecharmedones.com_

_Thank you for all the reviews. I appreciate all forms of feedback.  Just a note, this story has already been completed. It will be updated on Mondays and Thursdays. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed. This story is a product of my imagination. Some of the scenes have been taken from the script and modified. When this occurs, the episode and writer of the original scene is cited. _

**Note: Part of this chapter was taken from the episode "The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell," which was written by Cameron Litvack.**

****

**Part Two**

_"Come on Wyatt, let your little brother play with the game, too." -Piper_

- _Season Six, Episode 125, "The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell"_

            "Wyatt, can I have a turn now? Wyatt?" Chris asked as Wyatt stood over him playing with the gameboy the two of them shared. Wyatt quickly turned around and continued to play. Chris pulled himself underneath Wyatt's turned down head and poked him in the leg. "Come on Wyatt…" 

            "No, Chris. It's my turn." Wyatt turned around again. Chris angrily stood up, thought better of it, and then sat down again. Seconds later, Piper walked into the room holding a laundry basket. 

            "Come on Wyatt, let your little brother play with the game, too," she said. Wyatt reluctantly handed the game over to Chris. Chris looked at the game and started to press a few buttons, but it froze up. He looked up to see his aunts coming into the room. Neither of them had moved out, but neither of them was living with them full time either. He didn't really understand what was actually going on, but he did understand that his mother and her sisters needed to be together to protect him and Wyatt. 

            "Phoebe, can Piper take you to the doctor's instead? I've got a ton of papers to grade." Paige asked. Chris looked over at his aunt. Maybe she would help him fix the game. Paige quickly dashed up the stairs and towards an open portal on the stairway. She was going to Magic School.

            "The doctor?" Phoebe looked confused for a second, then realization struck her as she looked down at her belly. Chris handed the game back to Wyatt, who sat down and began to play with it, and walked over to his aunt. Phoebe would help him, if he asked her nicely. 

            "Yeah, we got to make sure our little niece is doing okay." Piper responded, carrying her laundry basket into the kitchen. His mother wouldn't have time to help him right now. She was always busy doing things around the house. She never seemed to realize how mean Wyatt was to him sometimes. She just let him get his way. 

            "Aunt Phoebe, we need your help," he said. Phoebe looked down at him with a startled expression on her face. His aunt had been doing that a lot lately. She always seemed to be slightly out of touch with reality, but at least she never blamed everything on him. 

            "I just got the weirdest sense of déjà vu," she muttered to herself. "What is it, Chris?" She looked down at him, concern on her face.   
            "We can't beat this level. Do you think that you can?" he grabbed Phoebe's hand and pulled him over to where Wyatt was sitting. Wyatt turned away again and covered up the screen with his hand. The game had been frozen a moment ago. He had no idea how Wyatt had managed to fix it so quickly. The game started to belt the song that meant that somebody had beaten a level and Wyatt turned away again. 

            "No Chris. It's mine." He pressed a button on the gameboy and it went black. He then stood up and started to walk out of the room. Chris followed closely behind him, leaving Phoebe in the other room. There was no way that she could help him with the game now. Wyatt was getting into one of his moods, and whenever Wyatt got angry, bad things started to happen. 

            "Wyatt, lemme have a turn. Momma said…" Wyatt turned around to face Chris. It seemed like Wyatt was towering over him, even though he was barely two years older. It always seemed like so much more. Wyatt had some sort of… aura around him that constantly made Chris afraid. He never knew what Wyatt was going to do. 

            "I don't care what Mom said," he looked down angrily. "Stop following me." He tried to push Chris out of the way, but Chris dodged away. The one advantage to being younger was that he could move away faster. 

            "But Wyatt, you aren't using it." Chris said. He tried to grab the game out of Wyatt's hand, but Wyatt was too quick for him. He flung back his arm and tossed the game across the room. In mid air, the game changed directions and went souring for Chris's hands. Wyatt held out his hand and the game orbed into it. He then threw the game as hard as he could against the floor, and Chris didn't have enough time to save it. It shattered against the wooden floorboards. Chris looked at the broken pieces of plastic, then at his brother. Tears began to fill his eyes. 

            "Leave me alone, Chris." Wyatt said again. He pointed at the broken pieces of the game, then above his head. The game pieces orbed off of the floor and into his room. "Don't follow me. Play with your own toys." He walked out of the room. 

            Chris stared after his brother. Wyatt had had his share of tantrums before, but they were becoming more and more frequent. Chris quickly wiped his eyes and started towards the kitchen. Wyatt wasn't supposed to use his powers on him. He wasn't supposed to use his powers at all. Neither of them was. Maybe he should tell Momma. 

            Chris started to head up the stairs and towards his room. He couldn't tell Momma, she'd never believe him. She would say that Chris had brought it upon himself, and then use a whole bunch of big words that he didn't understand. Then Wyatt would come into the room and pretend to be all innocent and Chris would get blamed. The circumstances never mattered. Wyatt had that affect on people. 

            He couldn't tell Momma. And he couldn't tell his father. The one person who would believe him was going to have a baby and he didn't think that he should be bothering her with something as small as this. Wyatt would calm down. Wyatt would start taking responsibility. Or at least he hoped he would. 

            He was tired of always taking the fall and the blame. Tired of being the butt of Wyatt's jokes and tired of being compared to his older brother. He wasn't even five yet and his teachers were already sending home bad reports about him. The problem was that it was never his fault. It was always Wyatt's. 

            Maybe Wyatt would stop and everything would go away. But for now, he just had to watch out. Chris started up the stairs and towards his bedroom. There was no way that Wyatt could get to him in there. 


	3. Part Three

_This story begins with a scene from the episode "Chris-Crossed" and then back-tracks to follow Chris through his childhood up until the moment he travels back in time. Each chapter is an episode in Chris's life. Some of them are cued from scenes in the television show and some from my imagination. The story is based on facts up until the episode "__Hyde__School__Reunion__." _

_None of this story could have been written without the help of the website www.thecharmedones.com_

_Thank you for all the reviews. I appreciate all forms of feedback.  Just a note, this story has already been completed. It will be updated on Mondays and Thursdays. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed. This story is a product of my imagination. Some of the scenes have been taken from the script and modified. When this occurs, the episode and writer of the original scene is cited. _

**Part Three**

****

_"Honestly?" Chris said, "A letter's not going to mean a hell of a lot to me -- I got plenty of them growing up." _

_"Sorry?" responds Leo._

_"Uh, from my father," Chris dodges. "He wasn't around much."_

_- Season 6, Episode 126, "I Dream of Phoebe"_

            Chris knew that something was different the moment he walked into his room. It didn't look like anything was missing. Wyatt had taken to stealing things ever since his blow up months ago. Chris would leave and come back to find the broken pieces of some toy lying on the floor. Still, he never told. 

            A second survey quickly showed him what was different. Chris gleefully ran across the room and snatched an envelope off of his pillow. He slit the top of it open, ignoring the pain in this finger from a paper cut, and pulled out the piece of paper that was inside. 

            "Wyatt! Letter!" he yelled. He could hear Wyatt pounding up the stairs and dashing into his room. Seconds later, he appeared at Chris's door with a scowl on his face. 

            "No letter. What are you talking about?" he asked. Chris held out the piece of paper for his brother. Wyatt quickly joined him on the bed and without being asked, began to read it out loud for Chris. 

_Dear Chris, _

_            I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit you for awhile, but I've been very busy with the other Elders. There have been a lot of demon attacks lately. How are you? Are you getting along with Wyatt and listening to your mother? I hope you're being good. _

_            How is school going? I know that magic school isn't exactly a normal place to be, but I think that it's best for you and your brother to be exposed to others with gifts like yours. Have your powers been alright lately? I'm sure that if they've been off, it's just the start of kindergarten that's doing it. Please make sure to listen to your teachers. I don't want your mother to have to bind your powers so that you can attend regular school because you were acting up. Make sure you behave and you'll do fine. _

_            I'll see you when your aunt Phoebe has her baby. _

_                        Love, Dad_

Wyatt slowly folded up the letter and handed it back to Chris. Chris put it back in the envelope and got up from the bed. He walked over to his bookcase and picked up a box, opened it, and placed the letter inside with all the other ones that he had received. Wyatt stared over at him as Chris walked back to the bed, his bleeding finger in his mouth. 

            "Why didn't you get a letter?" Chris asked. Wyatt looked at him and shrugged his shoulders. He pointed at a truck on Chris's shelf and it disappeared. Chris let out a small yelp. "Don't. That's my favorite. I'll tell Momma!"

            "You haven't told her yet. You won't tell her now. And I don't know why I didn't get a letter. Maybe Dad just loves you more." Wyatt pointed at a second truck, but Chris deflected the orbs with a wave of his hand. 

            "He loves us both the same. When did you last get a letter?"

            "I saw Dad last night. He came to visit me." Wyatt shot back. Chris felt tears start to well in his eyes, but he wiped them away. 

            "Well, he didn't visit me. That's why you didn't get a letter," he responded. Wyatt looked at him, his face triumphant. Suddenly, his face fell. 

            "That's because you were asleep," he explained. 

            "He could have woken me up. He never wakes me up" Chris looked over at Wyatt, tears starting to fill his eyes. "I haven't seen Dad in a long time. All I get is letters."  Wyatt stared at him, his eyes growing soft. Sometimes Wyatt acted like his older brother and understood why Chris was upset. At these rare moments, Chris was sometimes happy to have an older brother. 

            "We'll see him when Aunt Phoebe has her baby. He's going to take us up there," Wyatt explained, his voice soft. Chris wasn't satisfied though. Their father found hours to visit with Wyatt, but only mere minutes to visit with him. He never understood why it was like this, but he did understand that there was nothing he could do about it. He put his finger into his mouth and bit down on it. 

             "Wyatt?" Wyatt got up from the bed and slowly started to walk towards the door. He turned around and stared at his little brother. Chris took his finger out of his mouth and clenched it in his fist and tried to stop the tears that were about to start flowing from his eyes. "Will you stop breaking my toys, Wyatt?" 

            Wyatt's eyes grew big, but instead of growing angry, he looked sad. He held out his hand and blue, shiny orbs appeared in it. One of Chris's trucks appeared in his hand. He gently set the truck down on the floor and turned to leave the room. Chris watched him leave with his thumb in his mouth. Maybe Wyatt would start to act nicer now. Maybe he wouldn't be so mean. Chris took his thumb out of his mouth and walked over to the truck that Wyatt had left him. He started to roll it back and forth on the floor. With a wave of his hand, several other trucks quickly joined in his game. He was well on his way to a full-blown road rage when he heard somebody call him. 

            "Chris, Wyatt, get down here. Now!" Chris abandoned his trucks and scampered out of his room and down the stairs. Phoebe was standing near the front door, her face contorted with pain. Chris stood with his arms upraised next to his mother.  Piper quickly gathered Chris into her arms as Wyatt appeared at the top of the staircase. Piper quickly put Chris down on the floor, then looked up towards the ceiling. "Leo?"

            "Where are my boys?" a swirl of blue and white orbs asked as he materialized.  Chris jumped into his father's arms as Wyatt finished the stairs and flung himself at Leo's leg. "Are you ready to visit some clouds?" He pulled Wyatt up into his other arm. Wyatt stared at Chris, his eyes huge. Silently, Chris got the message not to say anything. Leo set Chris on the floor and grabbed his hand. Chris winced in pain as his father put pressure on his cut finger. It didn't matter to him anymore though. They were on their way to the sky. 


	4. Part Four

_This story begins with a scene from the episode "Chris-Crossed" and then back-tracks to follow Chris through his childhood up until the moment he travels back in time. Each chapter is an episode in Chris's life. Some of them are cued from scenes in the television show and some from my imagination. The story is based on facts up until the episode "__Hyde__School__Reunion__." _

_None of this story could have been written without the help of the website www.thecharmedones.com_

_Thank you for all the reviews. I appreciate all forms of feedback.  Just a note, this story has already been completed. It will be updated on Mondays and Thursdays. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed. This story is a product of my imagination. Some of the scenes have been taken from the script and modified. When this occurs, the episode and writer of the original scene is cited. _

**Part Four**

_"I saw…children…my child…a normal life, without demons—is that possible?"_

_-Season Six, Episode 125, "The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell"_

            "Wyatt, Chris, Melinda, are you three ready for school? The portal isn't going to stay open for long. Aunt Paige isn't going to wait forever for you three either!" Piper yelled up the stairs. Seconds later, Wyatt and Melinda appeared at the top of the stairs, Chris close behind. Wyatt pushed past his cousin and started down. Chris caught her and the two of them followed. 

            The three of them grabbed their backpacks and Piper handed each of them a paper bag. "No getting into trouble today, right Chris?" she said, kissing his head. The three of them lined up in front of her and waited for Paige to come downstairs and open the portal. Melinda stuck her thumb into her mouth as Chris looked up at his mother, his eyes wide. 

            "Wasn't me, Mom," Chris responded. He looked up at her and emphasized his point by shaking his head.  "Maybe one of the other kids?" She always blamed him, even when the teacher said it wasn't his fault. 

            "Chris, you're the only child in that class who can orb." Wyatt perked his head up and glared at Chris, willing him not to say anything. Chris looked back at his brother. He couldn't always take the blame for something that Wyatt had done. He had to do it too often. He was starting to get tired of the punishments that went with Wyatt's reckless behavior. Sometimes he wished that Wyatt understood the responsibilities that went with his powers. Wyatt never seemed to understand how much he was truly hurting him. 

            "Wasn't me, Mom," Chris said again, this time putting stress on the first few words. "I didn't do it. Besides, Wyatt can orb too. Maybe it was him." Wyatt glared at him again, his eyes narrowing into tiny slits. Chris could see his hands balling into fists. 

            "He's not in your class Chris. Just behave today, ok? All of you behave. I'm not coming to school to pick any of you up because you were sent to the headmaster for playing tricks on your teachers." Piper somehow managed to ignore her eldest son's actions and she leaned over Melinda and kissed her on the head. Melinda's eyes were focused on the ground. 

            "Aunt Piper?" Melinda asked. She took her thumb out of her mouth and looked up at her aunt. "It wasn't Chris." She promptly put her thumb back into her mouth and continued gazing at Piper, her eyes wide. 

            "Chris isn't in your class, sweetie. Don't worry about this," she squatted down to Melinda's level and pried the thumb out of the girl's mouth. "You shouldn't do that, you're almost seven, almost a big girl. Hasn't your mother told you it will harm your teeth?"

            "Mommy hasn't been home in three days," Melinda replied. "And my teeth are fine," she grinned up at Piper, momentarily lowering her cousin's defense. Chris gave an inward sigh. It wasn't like this was unusual. He was gearing himself for another lecture about magical responsibility when Melinda lowered her gaze and stuck her thumb back into her mouth.  "But it wasn't Chris. Don't yell at him anymore, ok?" she muttered. 

            "Honey, you're only six. You don't really know about this. Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen at school today, _right _Chris?" Piper swung around to look at her second son. Chris looked down. He knew who was responsible for the incident at school the day before, but his own mother seemed oblivious to the fact that both of her sons could orb. She never really wanted to blame Wyatt for anything and Wyatt liked it that way. 

            "Wasn't Chris," Melinda mumbled again. Wyatt looked over at her again and made a slashing motion over his throat. Piper missed this action and bent over to kiss Wyatt on the cheek, but he pulled away.  She looked away, obviously hurt. Clanking noises sounded at the top of the stairs and Paige appeared. She waved her arm to reveal the giant wooden door that was the portal to magic school. 

            "Ready you three?" she asked as she swung the door open. Wyatt bounded up the stairs and through the door. Chris grabbed Melinda's hand and the two of them walked slowly up the stairs together. When he reached the door, he turned around to look at his mother. 

            "Love you, Mom," he called down to her. She smiled and looked up at him.

            "No problems today Chris," she called up to him. Disappointed, he led Melinda through the door.  She would never believe him. She never did. 

            "Chris?" he looked down at his little cousin. Melinda had always been more of sibling to him than Wyatt. She was so sweet, so innocent, so naïve.  She was much more than just a cousin to him. He'd do anything to protect her. 

            "Yes?" he replied. Melinda grasped his hand tighter and took her other thumb out of her mouth. She looked up at him, her eyes widening. She used her thumb to push her brown locks out of her face and behind her ear. 

            "Chris, I know it wasn't you," she put her thumb back into her mouth. Chris squeezed her hand and led her down the long hallway of Magic School. She was the only reason he hadn't gone crazy in this house. His dad was never home and his mother never believed him. The one person who did was four years younger than him and in no position to sway the adults. But for some reason, Chris always felt better knowing that she looked up to him. She believed in him. 

            Melinda jerked his hand and pointed towards a large brown door. Chris pushed it open to reveal a classroom full of younger children. He led Melinda in and her hand loosened in his. She pulled away, her thumb still in her mouth, and started to walk towards the other children. Chris turned to leave, but stopped when he felt Melinda grab him around the waist. 

            "'love you, Chris," she mumbled, and wandered into the classroom. Chris watched her go. She was exposed to magic, but growing up without demons. If they were ever attacked again, her innocence would be shattered and her sweetness lost. There was going to be no way to protect her from the reality of what they were. 

            Chris shut the door and started to walk towards his classroom. Suddenly, he heard a loud crash and saw Wyatt running from another classroom. He stared at his brother as Wyatt skidded to a stop in front of him. "Don't tell Mom." He commanded as he started to run away. 

            "What?" Chris said. "What did you do?" Wyatt gave him an annoyed look and pushed his blond curls out of his eye. 

            "Don't tell Mom. Or I'll make sure you get blamed for this too." With that, Wyatt sped down the endless hall. Chris shrugged and continued in the opposite direction towards the explosion. There was no reason not to go to class. He was going to get blamed for this anyway. She'd never believe it wasn't him. 


	5. Part Five

_This story begins with a scene from the episode "Chris-Crossed" and then back-tracks to follow Chris through his childhood up until the moment he travels back in time. Each chapter is an episode in Chris's life. Some of them are cued from scenes in the television show and some from my imagination. The story is based on facts up until the episode "__Hyde__School__Reunion__." _

_None of this story could have been written without the help of the website www.thecharmedones.com_

_Thank you for all the reviews. I appreciate all forms of feedback.  Just a note, this story has already been completed. It will be updated on Mondays and Thursdays. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed. This story is a product of my imagination. Some of the scenes have been taken from the script and modified. When this occurs, the episode and writer of the original scene is cited. _

**Part Five**

****

_"Because she doesn't exist.__ Not in my future. She dies when I turn fourteen."-Chris_

_-Season Six, Episode 128, "__Hyde__School__Reunion__"_

            Chris sat in his room, working on a paper for Paige's class. His aunt always assigned her classes the toughest papers and she wasn't about the let up on her eighth grade class just because her nephew was in it. Frustrated, he slammed his notebook shut and got up from his desk. The Book of Shadows would help him with the assignment, but he just had to go downstairs and ask his mother for permission to use it. 

            All of a sudden, a loud scream pierced through his ears. Chris started to run down the stairs, taking them two at a time. At the bottom of the staircase he saw his mother and Aunt Phoebe standing in front of Melinda. Wyatt was on the other side of the room and between them was a demon, his face unreadable. Chris froze. There hadn't been any demon attacks since Melinda had been born and he really didn't know what he was supposed to do. 

            Seconds later, Paige pushed past Chris, almost knocking him over. The demon stopped focusing on his mother and threw a fireball towards Paige, but she redirected it back at him. It hit the demon and it exploded. However, two more appeared where the first had been standing. 

            "Chris, take your cousin and hide!" Paige yelled. She quickly redirected two more fireballs at the demons, but they both multiplied upon impact instead of being vanquished. "Now! Go up there! Go. Wyatt, you too! Now!" Chris quickly grabbed his cousin's hand. He saw Wyatt disappear into the sky and hurriedly tried to follow the suite. He was almost to the ceiling when he felt something go through the orb and he rematerialized several yards above the ground. He and Melinda went spiraling to the floor, both their bodies thudding on the impact. He felt Melinda collapse beside him and his own hands became sticky with blood. He tried to orb them out again, but his head hurt him far too much. He heard Melinda let out a soft moan and saw her eyes close. He screamed and tried to get up, but a fireball came hurdling towards him. He watched the ball hit Melinda as if it were slow motion, and then felt them impact of some object on his own chest, knocking him into oblivion. 

~~

            "Chris, where are we?" Melinda asked. The two of them were in a still in the foyer of their house, but it was darkened. Their mothers and Paige were gone, along with the demons. Melinda looked up the stairs and glanced over at Chris. "I don't think we're supposed to be here. Did you orb us out?"

            "No…I saw you get hit…" Chris said, his voice trailing off. "I got hit too…I think I know where we are." He looked over at Melinda and the two of them stared at each other for several long seconds, neither of them wanting to admit their location. 

            "Are you sure? I mean, we can't be…" Melinda said, her voice trailing off. She sat down on the floor and curled her legs into her chest. "I mean, I'm only ten…"

            "They don't care about how old you are. And I think we are…Did you hear that?" Chris asked, his face suddenly alert. _Chris…are you ok? Chris…Daddy's here. He's healing you. Chris, come back!_

"Hear what? Chris? I'm scared! Chris, I'm disappearing, Chris don't let me go!" Melinda started to fade out of existence. "Chris! Help me!" Chris made a running leap and tried to grab her hand, but she had disappeared completely. He stared at the spot where his cousin had been standing moments before. She was gone. If they were really on the Ghostly Plane, then she was gone for good. 

            _Chris, just hold on a few more seconds, buddy. Chris, you're almost healed…_he heard again. Chris tried to block the voices out of his head and concentrated on the spot where Melinda had been. He tried to will her back into existence, but the spot remained empty. 

            "Melinda!" He yelled out, but there wasn't any answer. "Melinda!" Still no response. He felt something tugging on his body and gave in to it. Maybe it would take him to his cousin. All of a sudden he saw his mother's ghostly figure appear before him. 

            "Mom? What are you doing here?" he yelled, running over to her. Piper looked down at her youngest son and shook her head. 

            "Don't give in Chris, don't give in," she slowly started to fade out of existence. Chris yelled and lunged for where his mother had been standing, but she was gone. The tugging feeling he felt on his body grew stronger. Chris looked at the spots where his mother and cousin had been standing and gave in to the tug, willing it to take him to where they had just been. 

~~

            "Mom? Melinda?" Chris heard himself saying. He kept his eyes closed, hoping to hear his mother and Melinda standing next to him. The three of them would move on together. Maybe they could live with Grams. Or maybe they weren't really dead. 

            "Chris, wake up…are you ok Chris?" he heard a man's voice frantically call. Chris pried open his eyes to reveal the blurred form of his father standing above him. "Chris? Thank god." Chris felt himself being pulled upwards into a hug. "Thank god, Chris. I thought I'd lost you."

            "Mom?" Chris called again. He pulled himself out of his father's embrace and ran over to his mother's form. "Mom!" She didn't stir. "Melinda?" He looked over to where his aunt Phoebe was standing over Melinda's motionless form. "I saw them pass on…they've got to be alright. I was there, in that realm. I was with them." Paige, Phoebe, and Leo stared at as if he were insane. Leo slowly pulled his son towards him and wrapped him in his arms. Chris tried to pull free, but Leo held on. 

            "No, sweetie. You couldn't have. Because then you'd be dead too…" Leo said, his voice cracking. There was a shimmer of blue lights and Wyatt appeared at the back of the room. He stared at the motionless bodies of his cousin and mother, then across the room at Leo and Chris. He took several large steps across the room, then sank to his knees next to Piper's body. Chris watched as a look of fierce determination and vengeance came to his brother's eyes instead of tears, then buried his own face into Leo's shoulder and started to cry. 


	6. Part Six

_This story begins with a scene from the episode "Chris-Crossed" and then back-tracks to follow Chris through his childhood up until the moment he travels back in time. Each chapter is an episode in Chris's life. Some of them are cued from scenes in the television show and some from my imagination. The story is based on facts up until the episode "__Hyde__School__Reunion__." _

_None of this story could have been written without the help of the website www.thecharmedones.com_

_Thank you for all the reviews. I appreciate all forms of feedback.  Just a note, this story has already been completed. It will be updated on Mondays and Thursdays.  There are about nine parts in this story. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed. This story is a product of my imagination. Some of the scenes have been taken from the script and modified. When this occurs, the episode and writer of the original scene is cited. _

**Part Six**

_"You never give up do you?" Chris asks. _

_"Not when it comes to protecting my son." Leo replies._

_"Really?"__ Chris looks around. "Good job…dad."_

_-Season Six, Episode 118, "Soul Survivor"_

            "Chris, get down!" Leo yelled. A large blue energy ball flew up the stairs and straight for him. Chris held out his hand and deflected the ball back towards the demon that sent it at him. The demon screamed and blew up, sending fiery pieces all over the place. The pieces disappeared and Chris jogged down the stairs to his father. 

            "What are you doing here? We haven't seen you in about six months," he said, not waiting for a greeting. Leo opened his mouth to reply, but Chris barged on. "And you missed Wyatt's graduation…that was two years ago. You know what else that means?" Leo looked like he was about to start talking, but Chris cut him off for a third time. "You missed mine too. It was yesterday. Have anything to say to us? Or at least to me?"

            "You need to be more careful. That demon could have killed you." Leo said. He looked at the charred demon remains on the floor and shook his head. "I don't need to lose another family member."

            Chris gave his father an unbelieving look. Ever since his mother had died, Leo hadn't been around much. Actually, he hadn't been around much when his mother was alive either, but ever since her death, he'd taken long and frequent "vacations" from the family. Six months was considered to be short. Paige and Phoebe tried, but it wasn't easy for any of them. The power of three had been shattered and Phoebe's life had been thrown into chaos that day. If it wasn't for the almost daily visits from his grandfather, Chris didn't know how he would have survived. And now he was looking at somebody who was telling him that he wasn't going.

            "Why would you care?" Chris shot back. Leo looked at him startled. "I mean, _Dad,_ that you've missed some important things around here. And I'm leaving in a few months for college and you can't just show up there whenever you decide to." Chris folded his arms over his chest. "Anyway, if you feel the need to tell either of us to be more careful, tell it to Wyatt. I don't like what he's up to. It's not safe."

            "And it's none of your concern," Wyatt's deep voice came booming out from the front door. The light shown from behind him, which gave Wyatt a god-like appearance in the doorway. He brushed his long curls aside and swept into the room, his trench coat blowing behind him. Leo's eyes quickly turned from anger to softness as he gazed at his elder son. Wyatt turned around and motioned to somebody behind him. A tall girl with dark skin, hair, and eyes followed him into the foyer. "This is Bianca. I met her at school. She's a Phoenix."

            "A Phoenix? Wyatt, she's not safe." Leo said, his loving gaze growing hard. He clenched his hands into a fist, his knuckles growing white. "Wyatt, I know I'm not home a lot," Wyatt cut him off with a snort. "But you don't need to do anything dangerous to get attention."

            "You think this is some kind of attention grabber?" Wyatt snorted a second time and looked at Bianca. Her face remained stony and emotionless. Chris looked at her and felt a flutter go through his chest. She caught him looking and her stony face broke into a smile, then quickly regained its composure. "You have no idea, Father. I need no attention. I haven't seen you in over a year and it hasn't made any difference to me."

            Chris started to walk away from the stair case and towards the living room. Wyatt quickly shut the doors to the front of the house and followed him. The two brothers sat down on chairs across from each other and stared. Bianca quickly entered the room and stood near the wall. She folded her arms across her chest looked down at the brothers.

            They'd never had a good relationship. Chris had always been jealous of the attention that Wyatt got and Wyatt was angry with Chris for existing. He couldn't stand the fact that he wasn't an only child and the single heir to the power of three throne. Their mother's death had started a rift between them that hadn't healed and most likely wasn't going to. 

            "What are you doing home, Wyatt?" Chris asked. Wyatt continued to stare at the picture on the wall behind Chris, not bothering to answer. Chris glanced quickly for a second time over at Bianca. She didn't move. He heard orbs in the next room. Leo was gone. He saw Wyatt glance at Bianca and she nodded her head. He heard some thudding noises upstairs and started to get up, but Wyatt waved his hand at the couch and Chris sat back down. He looked at his brother and was surprised to see almost smile. 

            "This is a big day, Chris," Wyatt began. "I came for your allegiance." He waved his hand over the table and a small book appeared. "I'm starting an empire and I want you to join me. We've been enemies for too long, brother. It's time we were allies." He picked up the book and held it out to Chris. "I want you to see what I found while I was away." 

            Chris put his fingers around the book, but it jumped from his grasp and skidded across the table. Without hesitation, Bianca waved her hand. The book changed directions midair and landed on the table in front of Wyatt. Wyatt picked it up and ran his finger along the pages. Chris looked at Wyatt, his heart and mind filling with dread. 

            "Wyatt, you didn't. Please tell me you didn't…" he trailed off. Wyatt let an evil-looking grin slide across his face. He flipped the book open and ran his finger down the wrinkled page, stopping three-quarters away from the bottom. 

            "There is no good, Chris," Wyatt said. He waved his hand and Bianca stepped away from the wall pulled a something out of her pocket. Chris watched as she handed an athame to Wyatt. "There is no evil." He ran his finger along the edge of the knife and slit the top of his finger. Blood began to trickle down his finger. "There is only power." He gave another nod and Bianca walked across the room and stood behind Chris. She rested her hands on his shoulders. Chris pulled away and Wyatt gave a cruel laugh. 

            "Wyatt, please don't do this," he whispered. "What about Aunt Paige…and Aunt Phoebe. What about Dad? You can't do this to them. They've lost enough as it is." Wyatt looked at him a second time and cocked his head. 

            "They're already gone, Chris. There's nobody left but you and me. And soon, it's only going to be me." He looked at Bianca and Chris felt her fingers grip his shoulders, then enter them. He gasped and tried to orb, but Wyatt threw the athame and it penetrated his shoulder. "Bianca is stripping you of your powers. Soon, you'll just be left here. No loss to me. There's only one way to save yourself now, Chris. I think you know what that is." 

            Chris groaned and tried to pull away from Bianca, but she held fast. He squeezed his eyes shut. Paige, Phoebe, his father…they were obviously gone, just as Wyatt had said they were. His father had always been able to sense his pain and he'd been in the room just minutes earlier. There's no way he'd be able to ignore the sheer panic, pain, and torture that Chris was experiencing. 

            "Fine," he whispered. Wyatt looked at him, his expression startled. 

            "What did you say?" he asked. Chris nodded his head, his face contorting with pain.      

            "Fine. Yes. Whatever it will take. Just leave me alone. Stop the pain," Chris spat out. Wyatt nodded at Bianca and she removed her hand. Chris fell forwards, powerless. He looked up at Wyatt, his eyes tearing slightly. It wasn't enough that he had been tortured as a child, Wyatt wasn't satisfied. Wyatt would never be satisfied. "What do you want from me?"


	7. Part Seven

_This story begins with a scene from the episode "Chris-Crossed" and then back-tracks to follow Chris through his childhood up until the moment he travels back in time. Each chapter is an episode in Chris's life. Some of them are cued from scenes in the television show and some from my imagination. The story is based on facts up until the episode "__Hyde__School__Reunion__." _

_None of this story could have been written without the help of the website www.thecharmedones.com_

_I wanted to say thank you for all the reviews. I especially wanted to thank **darla101, Cat, Chrisoriented, Willows2, **and** hazza123** for all of their reviews. Just a note, I don't have Support Services and I'm curious to know how many people actually read this story. If you can take two seconds to leave a note, I'd greatly appreciate it. _

_Second note: This story has two parts left in it, unless I do some slight revisions and make it into three. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed. This story is a product of my imagination. Some of the scenes have been taken from the script and modified. When this occurs, the episode and writer of the original scene is cited. _

**Part Seven**

_"You can't just pop in from the future like this and play with people's lives because your big brother picked on you!" said Phoebe. _

_"He picked on the world!" Chris retorted. _

_Season Six, Episode 126, "I Dream of Phoebe"_

            Chris was running when he heard his name being called. Instead of stopping, he ran even faster. He didn't even want to think of the consequences that would occur if he were caught. He would be punished; not because he was disobeying, but because Wyatt would know. Wyatt always knew. 

            The voice started to get louder, but it didn't stop Chris from running. He was almost there… just need to go another mile and he'd get to his destination. 

            _Chris, _he heard. It was the loudest of all the calls, but still, he tried to ignore it. Things hadn't been going so well since Wyatt had almost killed him. He'd started to tiptoe around his older brother, never trying to upset him. He'd entered his first year at college, but was living at home. Wyatt's favorite thing to tell him was that Chris wasn't any good to him if he was more than a two-minute orb away. 

            "Chris." That time it was a command. Chris stopped running and looked at the blurred world around him. It was a grayish color, but he accounted that to the eye injury that some demon had given him a couple days ago. There were no healers. Not since they'd fled. Wyatt's powers were growing and his forces were multiplying. Everybody was getting out while they still could, before Wyatt staged a full blown take over. 

            "Wake up, Chris. Now." Chris shook his head and tried to look more closely at the landscape around him. All shades of gray. It wasn't his eyes. He was back to the place with no returns. Finally he'd see his mother again, for the first time in six years. He started to jog again. Something was pulling him forwards, towards something…special. Something that he had wanted to get to for a long time. He just couldn't figure out what it was. 

            "Chris, I'm not letting you go," the voice called again and Chris felt his body being yanked away. He tried to hold on, but the feeling was too strong. 

            "Dammit," Chris whispered as he opened his eyes to the colors of his room. Wyatt was standing next to his bed, his long hair stringy and unkempt. Bianca was standing next to the door, her stony face not hiding the fact that she was clearly scared. "What happened?"

            "We were attacked, Chris. And you fell. A warrior cannot fall. Haven't you been training?" Wyatt chastised. Chris took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He had almost died and Wyatt had barely broken a sweat. Wyatt started to pace the length of the bed. "I cannot accept weakness Chris. Maybe I should just end this right now…" he held out his hand and an athame appeared. Chris winced. This was the end. 

            "No." Wyatt whipped around and even Chris pulled himself into sitting position. Bianca looked stunned by her outburst and tried to pull her face back into its normal expressionless state, but it didn't work. Some sort of emotion started to hint on her face. Wyatt frowned as the emotion's identity dawned on him. 

            "No?" Wyatt countered, his voice reaching a dangerous level. Bianca straightened her pose and looked Wyatt directly in the eye, her stony gaze matching his. 

            "We can't afford to kill our followers," she said. Wyatt's gaze started to soften. "And also, he is the last of your family." Wyatt's expression hardened again. Chris sank back into his bed and looked anywhere but at the witch standing across the room from him. Wyatt was going to kill him now. There was no way around it. That was one of the rules of his followers. Nothing could ever develop into any sort of caring. No love. It hurt too much. 

            "Fine. He's in your care," Wyatt swept from the room, but not before giving Chris a look that clearly said that any problems that occurred would be fixed with his life. 

            As soon as the door slammed shut, Bianca took several large steps across the room. She looked at Chris's wounds and sighed to herself. "I hope you're happy." 

            "What?" Chris looked up at her with disbelief. "I'd rather be dead than stuck in this hell with him. You've just succeeded in putting my life on the line. And lemme add, it's a very thin line." 

            "I can end it for you right now, if you want me to," Bianca said, raising her hand. Chris shielded himself and Bianca lowered it. 

            "No," he said. Bianca went back to examining him, poking her fingers into a wound on his arm. Chris cringed and tried to get his mind on something else, but no distractions worked. All his thoughts kept going back to one thing. Her. 

            "Why'd you do it?" he whispered. Bianca raised her eyebrows and pulled back, sitting down in the chair next to Chris's bed. She rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. Chris hadn't ever seen her look this confused. He hadn't seen her ever show any emotion to speak of. He didn't quite know what to do. 

            "Well…" she trailed off, "I've seen Wyatt do a lot of stupid things. And this, by far, would have been the stupidest…" she trailed off again. Chris could tell that she wanted to say something else, but held himself back from asking her. "And I know that he would have regretted it. He regretted having his men kill your aunts. And his father. I know he did…he'll just never admit it." 

            "So this has nothing to do with the way you feel about me?" Chris blurted out before he had the chance to stop himself. Bianca looked taken aback and her face lost any emotion that it had held a moment earlier. 

            "I don't know where that came from, but I can assure you that there is nothing between us. You are Wyatt's brother and now under my care. You mean nothing more to me." She stood up and walked back to the door. "I should go." Her fingers lingered on the doorknob, but she didn't turn in. 

            "Are you sure there's nothing else?" Chris asked, his voice dropping to a whisper. Bianca turned around and looked at him. 

            "You're the only other one who thinks like I do," she whispered back. "And I need your help. Nothing more that that. Wyatt needs to be stopped. I can't do it alone." With that, she turned the knob and slipped out of the room, once again leaving Chris with his thoughts. 


	8. Part Eight

_This story begins with a scene from the episode "Chris-Crossed" and then back-tracks to follow Chris through his childhood up until the moment he travels back in time. Each chapter is an episode in Chris's life. Some of them are cued from scenes in the television show and some from my imagination. The story is based on facts up until the episode "__Hyde__School__Reunion__." _

_None of this story could have been written without the help of the website www.thecharmedones.com_

_Thank you for all the wonderful reviews that I've received. I truly appreciate each and every one of them. There is one more part after this one. _

_Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed. This story is a product of my imagination. Some of the scenes have been taken from the script and modified. When this occurs, the episode and writer of the original scene is cited. _

**Note: Part of this chapter was taken from the episode "Chris-Crossed" written by Cameron Litvack. **

****

**Part Eight**

_"If anybody should be protecting themselves, it should be me from you…"-Chris_

_-Season Six, Episode 112, "Valhalley of the Dolls"_

            "Chris, what are you doing here? You know he'll find us. He always finds us…" Bianca trailed off. Chris held up a hand and Bianca sat down on the bench next to him. The arboretum they were sitting in was ragged and unkempt. Even though Wyatt had staged his takeover almost two years ago, little things like nature were still suffering the full-blown effect. Things had just about gone back to normal—as normal as they could be with magic practiced openly and Wyatt practically declaring himself leader of the world. 

            But that hadn't stopped other things from happening. Nothing could stop normal life processes completely. 

            "Don't worry, we'll be safe here," he whispered, looking around the barren trees for any sign of probes, the latest device that Wyatt was using to spy on his enemies as well as followers. Bianca pressed herself up against the white post that had once supported a roof and looked around. Nothing came. 

            "Are you sure?" she replied. "I mean, Chris, you might be the son of an Elder and a Charmed One, but you still suck at fighting… I don't really think that I'd trust you with my care." She folded her arms over her chest and sighed. "I don't know what you did, Chris, but whenever I'm around you, my guard comes down. It's not safe to be out in the open, I can't protect myself as well as I used to. Wyatt's suspecting something now. I'm sure he'll be onto us any day now…" she trailed off, her eyes glassing over as she looked into the bleak and desolate distance. Chris took this opportunity to sneak up behind her and wrap his arms around her. He kissed her neck and Bianca giggled and turned in his embrace. 

            "See? My guard's down again. I'd of stopped you from a mile away…" she trailed off again as Chris kissed her a second time. Bianca stopped protesting and returned the kiss and the two of them sat down on the cracked white bench that was next to the pool Bianca had been leaning against. 

            "You never would have pulled this off when I met you," she whispered. Chris grinned to himself kissed her again. She was right about that. There was no doubt about it. He quickly pulled away; causing Bianca took stare at him, her eyes slightly confused. Chris reached into his back pocket and pulled something out of it. He took Bianca's hand in his own and slipped a ring onto her finger. 

            "Will you marry me?" he asked, his voice growing hoarse. Bianca pulled her hand away and looked at the ring. It had been his mother's and one of the only things that Wyatt had permitted him to keep. Wyatt had always joked that he would never have had anybody to present it to. Sometimes even Wyatt was wrong. 

            "Now? You're asking me now? Here?" Chris sensed her confusion and pulled back, slightly ashamed of himself. He hadn't meant to put her in the spotlight. One wrong move and she'd go spiraling back to where she had been when he had met her. She'd become cold again, rock-like and impenetrable. 

            "This is still our spot, Bianca, no matter what he's done to it. Marry me," he asked again. Bianca looked at the wreckage of the arboretum and the ruins of the building that had once stood behind them. This had been the spot where Wyatt had first become suspicious of their affair. His two most important followers had disobeyed his primary rule, right in front of the area the family had dedicated to their mother. Wyatt had never been back since her death, and discovering Chris and Bianca there had caused him to go into a fit of rage, destroying everything that had created the memorial. 

            "On one condition—" Bianca paused and looked Chris in the eyes. "—that you'll come back to me, safely." Her voice trembled at the last few words. Wyatt had managed to put fear into so many people. Carelessness and love had been a casualty of his reign.

            "Have I ever let you down before?" Chris asked. Bianca looked up at him and smiled, her lips catching his. All of a sudden, something appeared on the horizon. Chris quickly broke away and strained to hear if something was coming. 

            "What was that?" Bianca whispered, her eyes suddenly alert. She started to stand up, but quickly sat back down. A probe appeared and caught her in its yellow lighted scan. "Chris, help me!" She cried, her body frozen. Chris angrily waved his hand and the probe went flying into the pillar. He looked down at Bianca, who had a rare trace of fear across her face. 

            "Are you alright?" 

            "I'm fine. I don't think it had time to transmit," she whispered, her voice shaky. Chris stood up and looked around at the commemoration of Wyatt's anger. The one place that he had love and had always been able to call his own had been destroyed by his brother. He had just come incredibly close to losing something else that meant a lot to him. He curled his hand up into a fist and let out an angry sigh. 

            "I can't believe he's sending probes after us now! I'm going to kill that son of a bitch," he spat out. Everything that he ever worked for and everything that he cared about was always ruined by Wyatt. His brother couldn't ever let him have one moment, couldn't let him have even a second to himself or to his own thoughts. He had to be controlled. 

            It had been this way during all of his childhood. All the toys that Wyatt had broken, all of the 'accidents' that had been blamed on him, they all had some sort of root in his brother. Chris had spent his entire childhood looking over his shoulder and making sure that he didn't piss his brother off. He wanted that to end. He needed it to end. 

            He felt Bianca place her hand on his shoulder. This was the one thing that he had in defiance of his brother. Wyatt had never dreamed that any sort of romance would blossom between the two or he never would have brought Bianca to the manor on that day that somebody had killed their father. It was his one victory. His one triumph over the one who wanted to control all. 

            "No you're not. You're going to stick to the plan," Bianca whispered. He felt her slide her hand down his arm and intertwine her fingers in his own. His victory. 

            "But he knows…" Chris started, but Bianca cut him off. 

            "If he knew, he wouldn't have sent the probe. You have to go back, Chris, it's the only way to stop him. It's the only way to change all this." She used her free hand to beckon to the ruins around them. Chris looked at the broken angel behind him and felt a tear well up in his eye. He needed to do this. He needed to fix things for the good of them all. And there was no other good way to do it. No other way but to send him away, away from Bianca and his world, and spiraling into another one. A world where he'd have to live a lie, experience his parent's early life and marriage, and to see his older brother as a toddler. There was no way he was going to be able to do it without changing all that was around him. It was possible he would come back to a world without Bianca. 

            But there was no other way. She was right. This was the only way to save their future. 

            "Come on, we have to get to the manor when it opens," Bianca said. She pulled lightly on his hand and nodded with her head. Chris reluctantly started to walk away from the arboretum, but not without a glance back behind him. That was what he was going to save. His mother, his aunts, his cousin, his father, and his fiancé. 


	9. Part Nine

_This story begins with a scene from the episode "Chris-Crossed" and then back-tracks to follow Chris through his childhood up until the moment he travels back in time. Each chapter is an episode in Chris's life. Some of them are cued from scenes in the television show and some from my imagination. The story is based on facts up until the episode "__Hyde__School__Reunion__." _

_None of this story could have been written without the help of the website www.thecharmedones.com_

**_I would like to say thank you to all of you who reviewed during this story. I appreciated all of the feedback. I have no immediate plans to post another story, but this could change in the future. Once again, thank you for all of the reviews!_**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Charmed. This story is a product of my imagination. Some of the scenes have been taken from the script and modified. When this occurs, the episode and writer of the original scene is cited. _

**Note: Part of this chapter was taken from the episode "Chris-Crossed," which was written by Cameron Litvack. **

**Part Nine**

****

****

_"Yeah, but…it was supposed to be more like a surgical strike." Chris said. _

_"To save Wyatt?"__ Leo responded. _

_"Yeah, to save Wyatt."__ Chris answered. _

_-Season Six, Episode 121, "Chris-Crossed"_

Chris and Bianca walked towards the manor. His hands were clammy with apprehension. He was about to do something that would change his entire life. Something that would change the life for the baby that would grow up to be him. Maybe Wyatt wouldn't steal his toys anymore. Or maybe he'd become the bully. Who knew what would happen, or if there would even be a future for him to return to when he was finished. It only took a second glance at Bianca's brunette head to remind himself why he was doing this. He could potentially save her too. Save her from the anguish that Wyatt had inflicted upon her. 

            The two of them gathered at the end of the long line forming in front of the manor. Chris could already see the probes that were dancing inside the window, almost causing power overloads with their excitement to get at those who were gathered outside. The doors opened and a middle aged woman led the group into the house. The probes began to scan each of the tourists. The tour guide chatted away, warning the visitors against holographing and straying from the group. Chris waved his hand and the probes bypassed him and Bianca. The first obstacle was passed. But that was the easiest of them all to get by. 

            He felt awed as Bianca led her through the rooms that he had grown up in. He could remember incidents that had happened in each spot better than ever. They walked past the spot near the stairs where he'd failed to save Melinda and towards the kitchen where Wyatt had blown up his first potion and blamed it on him. Chris froze as the hologram that depicted his mother and aunts came to life, splattering a life-sized portrait of her in front of his face. He gripped Bianca's hand and tears nearly came to his eyes as he watched the Charmed Ones become reborn. 

            "Come on, let's go save them," Bianca whispered to him as the hologram shut off and the group started towards the lobby. Chris stared at the spot where his mother had been standing moments before. He could feel her in this house. He could feel his cousin and his aunts and his father. They had all died here, and some of it had been Wyatt's doings. He had to be stopped. 

            The group filed into the kitchen, and then quickly onto the attic. Chris stared at the spot where he used to eat breakfast. The feelings were too overwhelming. He had to get away from all of it. He turned to face Bianca, to admit defeat, when a demon shimmered into existence. The demon said something and Bianca held out her hand to Chris. She calmly turned and stabbed him with an athame and beckoned him to follow her into the basement. 

            They had been lucky. Most of Wyatt's demons were much better trained. He was surprised that this one hadn't recognized either of them. All demons knew who he was. Wyatt had made it a requirement so that he wasn't killed by mistake.  "Come on!" he heard Bianca call to him, knocking him out of his daze. He stared at her, trying to forget the pure emotionless state that her face had been in moments earlier and followed her into the basement. 

            "We can stay here until the museum closes, then we go get the Book…what's the matter?" she asked, once again knocking Chris out of his thoughts. She never seemed evil when they were alone, or even when they were out doing Wyatt's bidding. But the smallest moments like this reminded him too vividly of the girl who had once almost killed him simply because his brother had told her to. He didn't want her to become that girl again. And if he left… anything was possible. 

            "Nothing. It's just…sometime I forget who you really are." Chris summarized, not wanting to look at her. He knew she would be disappointed in him, in his lack of faith. 

            He felt her hand slip into his and he looked at her. "You mean who I used to be, Chris," she reassured him. "Before I met you." She was right, of course. But he was still afraid that she would turn back and that he wouldn't be there to stop her. He just couldn't find any way to tell her that. 

            "So, what do we do while we wait?" Chris asked, looking around the room. The toys that had been stored down here from his childhood were gone. Wyatt had probably destroyed them when he had taken over the manor. 

            "We say goodbye," Bianca answered, her voice growing suggestive. Chris was immediately focused on Bianca, all doubts about her flying away. The old Bianca would never have taken any sort of risk like that in this particular location. She would survive. Chris felt himself becoming swept up in the moment and all thoughts vanished from his head. 

            Hours later, Bianca pushed open the door to the basement and led Chris up the stairs. His worries had returned full-blast. There was no way he was going to be able to leave her behind. If he went into the past, he was just going to mess up the future. It really wasn't that bad…  He quickly snapped his head up when he realized that Bianca had been speaking to him, prepping him for what might come. He was about to tell her he'd changed his mind and tuned into her instructions right as she was saying "…pass yourself off as their whitelighter."

            "And are you sure that I won't lose my powers when I go back?" Chris asked. He had asked her this dozens of times and already knew the answer by heart. That wasn't really the problem. He knew that in order to be their whitelight, he was going to have to get his father out of the way, and the only way to do that was to promote him to Elder. As it was in his reality, his father hadn't become an Elder until several months after his birth. Having an Elder for a father instead of a normal whitelight could cause him to become more powerful...even more powerful than Wyatt. 

            "...protect the Charmed Ones – keep them alive for our future," he tuned in to the end of what Bianca was telling him. Keeping them alive. That would change everything for sure. If his mother survived past his fourteenth birthday then the whole future would be different. He wanted it to be different; he really did, but was this really such a good idea? He would change everything, not just Wyatt, but his whole existence. The only way to avoid changing too much was to do this as fast as possible, and knowing his family, it would be the opposite of that. 

            "Great, no pressure there," he joked, trying to get his mind off of the severity of what they were about to do. Bianca smiled and walked over to him. 

            "You know you're the only one who can do this, Chris," she whispered. "You're the only one who can save us." She looked at him, her eyes wide. The looked mimicked almost exactly the one Melinda used to give him, only it lacked the innocence. 

            Save us or save you? Chris wanted to shout, but held back. Was she really doing this to save the world, or was she doing it to save herself from what she had done to all those people while under Wyatt's control? "If I make it back," he joked, but he was still confused. 

            "You have to make it back… if you want to marry me…" she trailed off. All of Chris's doubts about her motives flew from his mind. She clearly wanted him to stay as much as he did. She knew the risks; she had known them since the moment that they had thought up this plan. There was really no way around them. There was almost a one hundred percent possibility that he would change the future so much that they would never have met, and he would have to live with that knowledge. 

            "You sure know how to motivate a guy, you know that?" Chris responded. There was nothing he would rather do now then reenact the scene from the basement, but he kept his mind focused. The two of them walked over to the stand where the Book of Shadows had been replaced by a shimmering holograph.      

            "Are you sure you can summon the real Book? Away from him?" Bianca asked, the first signs of doubt entering her voice. Chris sighed. Of all the parts of the plan they had come up with, this was the part he was the most certain about. 

            "Yeah, but we won't have much time once it gets here. His demons will be all over us," he said. This was it. The moment for the two of them to back out altogether. All she had to do was say the word…         

            "We won't need much time, just long enough to send you back to them," Bianca responded. It was official. He was leaving. She pulled a piece of chalk out of her pocket and started to slowly draw a huge Triquetra on the wall. 

            By the time that she'd finished, the room had grown dark. Chris had left his stance behind the book stand and was pacing back and forth in front of the row of boxes that Wyatt has placed their for historical accuracy. She threw the chalk down on the floor and looked at him. Chris met her eyes. They both knew what this meant, but neither of them wanted to admit it. 

            "It's time," she said, finally breaking the ice. Chris felt his stomach in his throat. He wanted to throw himself down on the floor in front of her and beg her not to make him go. But he knew that it was stupid. They hadn't gone through all of this just to admit defeat. He had to go through with it. 

            But it didn't stop him from protesting once again. "I don't want to go, I don't want to leave you," he said, his voice growing low. He didn't want to leave her. His fears of what might happen resurfaced. She might turn back. She might find another. She might not even be there when he returned. 

            Chris watched as Bianca pulled of the ring that he had presented her with earlier and push it into his hand. "This will help remind you of why we're doing this, what's waiting for you here," she whispered, tears coming to her eyes. It was like a slap had jolted Chris back into reality. He had to stop being so selfish. He was doing this for the good of mankind. He couldn't back out because of his petty personal issues. 

            "You sure I'll find a way back?" he asked, eyeing the Triquetra. The spell only worked in one direction. There was no conceivable way for him to return. 

            "You'll have the Charmed Ones to help you," she said. Chris felt a small smile coming to his face. He would get to see his mother again! Just as the smile surfaced, it was replaced with a frown. It also meant seeing his father. 

            "Maybe… I just hope I don't change too much," he responded. 

            Bianca shook her head. "You can't make it any worse." He felt the lightness of her response and knew that it was almost time for him to go. If he held on any longer, he wouldn't be able to leave. 

            "Just make sure you take care of the guards, then get out of here," he instructed. "If he finds you, if he knows you betrayed him, he'll kill you." Bianca looked at him, her face slowly regaining its old expressionless nature. She knew what kind of risks were going to be facing her. It was possible that they were worse then the ones that he was going to have to face. 

            "Don't worry, I can handle myself," she told him. Her face was completely devoid of any emotions now. Somewhere inside of him, Chris knew that she was going to be alright without him. She would survive. It was what she was best at. 

            Chris looked at the wall, and then at the space before him. It was time—there was no denying it. He started to chant a spell he had memorized long ago and within seconds, the book dropped from the ceiling and landed in front of him. Chris picked it up and quickly started to flip towards the correct page. Bianca looked at him expectantly. They had come this far… too far to give up now. 

            _Hear my words, hear my rhyme,_

_            Heed the hope within my mind:_

_            Send me back to where I'll find_

_            What I wish in place and time._

Chris looked up to see the Triquetra swirl with color. He started to walk over to it, but his stride was shaky. He reached out a hand, almost running his palm along blue orb-like designs in front of him. Suddenly, he heard two demons shimmer into the room. He instinctively turned around and saw one of them grab Bianca from behind. He called her name. "Go… Go!" she responded, kicking at her attackers. Chris took one last look at his home and jumped through the portal, landing on the hard wood floor of the attic twenty-odd years earlier. He quickly orbed out of the room and to the arboretum he had proposed at earlier that day. 

            It was beautiful. Green and luscious and completely unharmed. He took a moment to compile himself and collapsed on the bench. Now all he had to do was wait for the Titans to be freed and he would be able to start over from the beginning. It was time to change the future. Time to change his future. Time to make it work out right. 

            It was time to make sure he would always have a home. 


End file.
